Download The Donna Hicken Foundation Organization Overview

The Donna Hicken Foundation
Organization Overview
Every day on the First Coast two women are told the news that shatters their lives. They
have breast cancer. Many thousands of women dealing with the stress of cancer don’t
have a well-paying job, good insurance or a support system in place to help them cope.
Many of them don’t have time to think about whether they will be here to watch their
children grow up. Instead they must worry about whether they have enough money to
keep a roof over their heads. The financial hardship of losing a job or not being able to
work through treatment can be immense. Those women need hope. They need a way to
focus on getting better, not just on getting by.
Toward that end, two time breast cancer survivor Donna Hicken launched the Donna
Hicken Foundation in June of 2003. The Foundation raises money to be used exclusively
for the critical needs of First Coast women living with breast cancer. DHF partners with
Catholic Charities Jacksonville Regional Office, the largest social service agency in the
area, to administer these funds. Catholic Charities’ social workers lovingly screen each
recipient to ensure the Foundation is a good steward of the donations received. Checks
are then made payable to the mortgage company, the utilities carrier, the doctors office,
etc.
Anyone who’s ever had a serious illness knows that even if one is fortunate enough to
have good insurance, it doesn’t cover everything. Costs associated with long-term care
can be astronomical. Mortgage and car payments are still there even when the money is
not.
It is our belief at The Donna Hicken Foundation that whatever time any of us has, it
should be spent caring for each other. We are privileged to have the opportunity to serve.